Penned by Aereus Starro.

With illustrationary efforts by Andominicus Aanthrescu.

Introduction

The skies of Jhuni are strange indeed; many of us are aware not of the innermost workings of our World, and the many other worlds above in our skies. I hope, that in reading this book, that this confusion is cleared up. You will find below information most thorough about the skies of Jhuni, what we know, its seasons, and other such things. Starting off with the most significant celestial bodies, and ending with lesser misc. facts.

Major Celestial Bodies

The skies of Jhuni are vivid and polychromatic, many thousands of stars twinkle during the day and the night, and swirls of energy snake throughout the Heavens. Indeed, there are dozens of lesser moons and planetoids orbiting Jhuni, visible only during certain parts of every Paimonis. Those will be touched on later, but here be the Major Celestial Bodies — so easy to observe that all Men of the World have seen them at least once.

Nightly Celestials:

• The Triumvirate.—Every one of these moons is visible every night, with the exception of the Redmonth. The moons are likely all the same size, but may appear smaller because of their distance from the Ground. Ancient cultures inhabiting Gimney-Thoren were the first to ever name the moons individually, (Apollo, largest; Ares, second largest; Athoryon, smallest). Each moon produces a wavelength of light, different in hue than their brothers, which is filtered through the surrounding nebulae to create kaleidoscopic light capable of producing a soothing effect on living organisms. The Triumvirate is associated with the “Ungodly” (in occult communities), Purity, Tranquility, and Rebirth.
• Tendrils of Eden.—Immediately following the start of Nighttime, streaks of light — vivid green, blue, or periwinkle in color — tear through the astrolit cosmos. These twinkling ribbons are known as the Tendrils of Eden, and alongside the Triumvirate illuminate the skies in the absence of the Ophanim. Tendrils of Eden have been depicted in most ancient artworks relating to the night, and have been associated with purity, goodness, and safety.
• Fourth Red Moon.—This Moon is not affiliated with the Triumvirate, and does not produce any light until the Redmonth. It is very hard to see during the daytime, and looms in the distance at night, thousands of miles away from the Ground. Every day it moves closer to the surface, until the Redmonth, when it blocks out the Sky and forces the Ophanim to unfurl its wings to allow light to touch the surface. At the end of the Redmonth, the Fourth Red Moon is pushed back to its original spot far back in the sky by the Kaiser of the Skies; marking the end of the year. Mentions of the Fourth Red Moon are recent, implying that it was either spotted or appeared earlier than its other celestial brothers. It represents fear and darkness in the public ken. But in some cultures it represents reproduction, gluttony, and lust.

Daily Celestials

• The Ophanim.—Our great lightgiver, the holy Sun. It is a reddish ball of flame near the innermost portions of the atmosphere, surrounded by rings of white light. These rings increase in thickness starting at sunrise and reach their zenith width at midday before shrinking into non-existence at sunset as preparation for the Kaiser of the Skies. It takes a break at the end of every cycle, and goes to sleep during the greatnight; when it awakens it unfurls its wings and illuminates the sky and heats the environment back to optimal temperatures — starting the new Cycle. If it were to unfurl its wings, all the water on Jhuni would boil and all snow would melt, for it would be Hell.
• The Nightflame Sun.—Located behind the Ophanim, and nearly half its size. It is a satellite that is only visible every 100 tricycles, and its presence initiates the Iris Event. It is a ball of purple flame, and the energy it produces is extremely potent; and is doubly energetic when collected by solar panels than that of the Ophanim’s light. It appears for nine days before retreating behind the Ophanim once again. Strangely enough, gazing at the Nightflame sun does not blind thee, instead putting thou into a dreamless sleep for the extent of its presence. This is known as St. Trina’s Rest, when many thousands of creatures fall to slumber and no conflict is too occur.

Kaiser of the Skies

All days last 16 hours: 8 hours of Radiance, and 8 hours of Gloam.

The Kaiser of the Skies, or simply the Kaiser, is some sort of extremely powerful and gargantuan being. The only portion of its body seen thus far are its many limbs, skeletal and clad in jewelry. It governs the day-night cycle; and ends the Redmonth by pushing the Fourth Red Moon back into its spot thousands of miles away from the Ground. At the start of the day, the Ophanim is put into place by one of the Kaiser’s hands, and its rings begin to form around it. These rings increase the brightness of the day until midday, when they start to shrink again. By this point, the Ophanim has also physically lowered towards the bottom of the horizon and the light it exudes shall decrease.

By the time its Rings have disappeared, it has situated itself into Position; and the Kaiser’s hand will grab the Ophanim and pull it down into the horizon within five minutes. At this point, night begins. The Kaiser gently places the Triumvirate into its spot at the top of the sky, and the Tendrils of Eden show themselves. The Triumvirate, too, lowers itself into position at the end of the Night, so that it may be replaced by the Ophanim. This is the cycle we are so familiar with, the day-night cycle, the cycle of the Kaiser. A peculiarity amongst this cycle is that the Fourth Red Moon is never touched by the Kaiser, and is only moved back into place at the end of the Redmonth.

Cycles

Now that we are accustomed to the major envoys of the stars, we can discuss the Cycles; known by lesser Men as “Years”. There are nine Cycles, each one has 180 days. Each cycle ends in a greatnight that lasts double as long as the average day-night cycle, and it becomes very cold and very dark during this event. This greatnight is the result of the Ophanim taking a rest from its duties, and following the greatnight, the Ophanim will unfurl its flaming wings to rapidly heat up the atmosphere back to original temperatures.

Each Cycle has differences in temperature, daylength, and the visibility of certain lesser celestial bodies. Every day, the Fourth Red Moon encroaches closer to the atmosphere, until it covers the sky in the Red Month. At the end of the Redmonth there is no greatnight, instead the Kaiser of the Sky pushes the Fourth Red Moon back into its place far away and the nine Cycles restart.

All Cycles occur randomly, and not in order of each other. With the exception of three: Pyroclasm always takes place after Hyphomycetes, and Redmonth is always the ending of that set of cycles.

• November.—The first Cycle. The weather is cool, and nice; and the Red Moon is far away. The Ophanim is visible in the sky for the least amount of time before the Kaiser snatches it up, and nights last a long time. In November, the Triumvirate produces enough heat to keep the nights cozy. There are frequent rainstorms and thunderstrikes throughout Jhuni, which pose a significant threat to those who live at high altitudes.
• Ichor.—The second cycle, and during Ichor it never stops raining. Great thunderclouds coat the clear skies and churn the Earth with monsoons, hurricanes, and endless torrential rainfall. Jhunic settlements below sealevel must be evacuated, and rivers and lakes double in size and deepness. The steep amount of hydration and humidity also awakens creatures only capable of surviving in wet conditions, too. Such as the Shoggoth, and certain Verdugos may also be more or less active.
• Macula.—This cycle extremificates the temperature. Hot regions become scorching and cold areas begin to snow and hail. It is during this month that Cold Lightning begins to strike the ground across frigid locations and Red Lightning strikes across the hot regions. These weather conditions can devastate unfortified or primitive settlements. However, the ground itself begins to tear open during Macula, creating safe caves to inhabit for wildlife and travelers alike. Be careful, however, as Macula concludes the caves begin to close once again, crushing all within.
• Hyphomycetes.—The temperature and humidity that begins within this cycle cultivates fungal growth to a startling agree. Gigamycetal obelisks begin to form and tower as tall as trees, forests of mushroom sprout where fields once lurked, and molds cover the ground until it’s fuzzy. Sporestorms are common, and the mycetal forests and biomes to come may cause many deaths to lessers. At the start of the greatnight, the many growths begin to rot away and disintegrate.
• Pyroclasm.—Pyroclasm is signified by the ashy “dander” that covers most of the land; each particulate a remnant of the dead fungus of the previous Hyphomycetes. Inhaling this fine powder usually causes permenant lung damage unless thou is lucky enough to have born with book-lungs or gills. Otherwise, wear a mask — as our ancestors did. Pyroclasm is otherwise quite a fine Cycle: decent weather, good cropyields (Necrofungal powder is an exceptional fertilizer), and many a memory has been made playing in Necrofungal powder has a youngling. By the start of the next greatnight, the aerosols are absorbed into ground, nowhere to be found. It has been suggested that the Necrofungal material is likely reproductive in use, and the cause of the next years Hyphomycetes. So, now cometh the question: Which Cycle started first?
• Jakranox.—On the first day of the Jakranox, a lesser celestial body known as the Dead Moon is put into place in the skies. It is as such throughout the entirety of the Cycle, before being pulled below the horizon before the start of the greatnight. The Dead Moon is quite large, and disgusting too; with many brown tentacles trailing below it and other fetid coatings. It looks quite mutated and fetid, putridity incarnate and made rock. It will orbit the Ophanim for the majority of the Cycle, and in this cycle the Ophanim will stay in the sky without pause. Nighttime is signified by the Dead Moon’s orbit resulting in it obstructing the Ophanim; and the cosmos during will become shades of yellow and vomit greenblack. From the Dead Moon cometh legions of monstrosities hurled from the skies above in sarcous meteorites; horrors of unique versatility and phenotypical variety. These exotic horrors will mindlessly attack — in seeming service of the Dead Moon — until they are decapitated or impaled with a garlic-coated weapon. Once, a long time ago, we feared the coming of the Jakranox, but now it is good training for our finest men! After the Dead Moon is stolen from the skies; the Ophanim takes a longdeserved break and rests in the longest greatnight.
• Sabbath.—Cycle of rest and prayer. The weather is beautiful, cool and crisp and from the bodies of the previous beasts comes new flora. During the night, golden embers descend down to the ground; they disappear upon contact with living tissue and we are yet aware of the source of this material. This cycle contains the most non-universal holidays. During the Sabbath, the fruits from the Greattree grant vitality and youth unto thee. So to, does the Ophanim rest during Sabbath, as the nights are long and days are cold. Of course, cool weather befits most of thee, and so it is embraced. Harvests of most fruits are also bountiful, but not grain or vegetables or anything of that sort.
• Gavialid.—A time during which the humidity of swamplands such as Lakshadbi spread across Jhuni. The entire World becomes hot, humid, and wet. Marshes increase in their vastness and the Ophanim exudes great amounts of heat as it partially extends its wings. Gryposuchi, Prionisuchi, Great Land Octopi, and Greatlobsters walketh from their swampland homes and make temporary homes of other places. Most indicative of Gavialid are the green or red algae mattresses that coat most waterbodies. The only refuges from the scorching humidity are arid or frigid regions such as the Wintry South.
• Redmonth.—The final cycle before they all repeat again. The Fourth Redmoon, which encroacheth slowly towards the Ophanim since the start of the Cycles, has finally reached its zenith; completely covering the Sun. Only through the Ophanim’s fully outstretched wings does light reacheth the surface, in of itself being stained bright red. It is a cold, umbral month where many creatures began crazed and go berserk. Strange creatures are also sometimes spotted, and many casualties occur as crops and livestock die of mysterious causes such as loss of blood. The Fourth Red Moon is eventually moved by three hands of the Sky Kaiser back to its place far in orbit following the conclusion of the cycle. Next cometh a long and cold greatnight, nearly thrice in length as those before; before the next cycle begins again.

Nine cycles constitute a Paimonis, and Redmonth concludes each Paimonis. 3 Paimoni are considered a tricycle together. All Paimonis end in a Redmonth and are most likely to start with November; but this is not always the case and sometimes Hyphomycetes or Gavialid may begin the Paimonis. Those who conjureth during the month of the Fourth Red Moon go mad or are given great psionic strength.

1 year is to, without doubt or hesitation, 9 cycles or 1 Paimonis. 1 Cycle is, too without doubt, 36 periods; and 36 periods are constituted by 5 days.

Lesser Celestial Bodies

These be the Lesser Celestial Bodies of Jhuni, which are visible only during certain times of the Paimonis. They are not scant in their number, and many are still be to be identified. It is so that this scroll is not conclusive in the quantity of planetoids it catalogues. Every Lesser Celestial Body aligns with an element; Land, Water, Fire, or Air, and a metal; Silver, Tin, Copper, or Tungsten. The metals and the elements are correspondent, and it is through these elements that Magicians may channel the power of a planetoid. Meditation is an effective method in which one’s focus may be honed so that communion with the planetoids is smoother. Meditate for upwards of 30 minutes to an hour around the metal/element unto which the planetoid is aligned.

• Nesteron.—Visible during November, and a orbital body of Land and therefore Silver. It is a nearly perfect sphere, formed of white or gray basalt. It glows faintly, and may be mistaken for a star. When viewed under a scope, it reveals its true nature: An almost perfect sphere pockmarked by huge craters, that is orbited by a lesser and irregular submoon formed of quartz. Nesteron delivereth good fortune, hardiness, and adaptability, and it is said that beasts live upon its surface.
• Yuggoth.—One of few celestial bodies that mayhaps does not orbit Jhuni, for its rotations are irregular. It appears randomly in the sky without pattern, and is visible clearly as a red blur in the night; but invisible during the Day. When inspected under a lens, it is a black sphere pockmarked by gargantuan sanguine crystalline domes. Upon both vertical axes are great black spires, that penetrate its atmosphere and are serrated like teeth. Similar such towers jutt everywhere. Its element is possibly Water (Tin), but it could also be Fire (Copper). We do not know.
• Skormos & Skorkathis.—Two binary moons that encircle one another. They are both very similar in appearance to the Dead Moon. Their element is Air, and their metal is as such Tungsten. They are visible during most Hyphomycetes, and disappear around the midpoint of the following Pyroclasm. Skormos and Skorkathis are considered brothers to one another, representing duality, conflict, and sometimes familial values.
• Astrodelphis.—It is visible only during Gavialid, and it resembleth a gargantuan sea creature. It is half-decayed, and clearly dead. Its element is Water (Tin). Astrodelphis represents Death, and is the general patron of Gavialid as its likeness appears across representations of the Cycle. This celestial was certainly living at one point, and there are no records of any living variants of this lifeform’s species being delineated.